I was a little
disappointed listening to the 50th anniversary of the MLK - I Have a
Dream speech. Listening to the speech itself, it brought about all the
wrongs of the times, and was an uplifting verbal assault on those who
were oppressive. They happened to be Democrats, by the way. He spoke
about character, and its importance. He spoke of a future where his
children and grandchildren would prosper, based on their merit; that a
world would look at them not by their looks, but how they acted.
Today was disappointing, because no one addressed the issues in the
black community. No one stood up and said "50 years ago, 85% of us had
mothers and fathers. Today, only 25% of us do." No one stood up and said
"when our character includes hundreds of murders per year of black on
black crime, it wasn't what Dr. King was speaking of." No one stood up
and said "our community has less than 50% graduation rate from high
school and only 25% of us graduate from college."
Instead, Bill Clinton said that it was easier to buy an assault rifle
than it was to vote. John Lewis, the last living speaker from 50 years
ago, took his time to address Trayvon Martin. Oprah was the only one who
was uplifting and gave the community something to ponder. Good for her,
especially after lying her ass off about being a victim of racism in
Switzerland.
I can't imagine going through life as a victim.
Constantly blaming others for what happens to me. I grew up poor too, in
a single parent family, the youngest of 7. My parents divorced shortly after I was born. My mom, who raised us,
sacrificed all she had to ensure that we were raised with good
character. She encouraged me to get involved. I didn't always take the
right path, but she stood firm when I strayed. She didn't make excuses
for me. She didn't sit back and say "well, he ain't got no daddy, so
what am I supposed to do?" She didn't go on assistance, take welfare,
WIC, or anything else. She worked hard. She punished me when I did
wrong, and she loved me when I did right.
I look at my brother
and sisters, and we are as follows: A retired administrator for a
successful nursing home. An office manager for a successful surgeon. A
fantastic nurse who has seen many new lives brought into this earth. A
stay at home mom/daycare provider/movie maker. The Emergency Medical
Technician licensing person (sorry, don't know her actual title) for the
entire state of Michigan. A small business owner who hauls steel across
the midwest to make America work. A Business Analyst for a
multi-billion dollar company.
My mom didn't tell us we had privilege because we were white. She made sure we had character. And that is what builds success.
Today was disappointing, because no one addressed the issues in the black community. No one stood up and said "50 years ago, 85% of us had mothers and fathers. Today, only 25% of us do." No one stood up and said "when our character includes hundreds of murders per year of black on black crime, it wasn't what Dr. King was speaking of." No one stood up and said "our community has less than 50% graduation rate from high school and only 25% of us graduate from college."
Instead, Bill Clinton said that it was easier to buy an assault rifle than it was to vote. John Lewis, the last living speaker from 50 years ago, took his time to address Trayvon Martin. Oprah was the only one who was uplifting and gave the community something to ponder. Good for her, especially after lying her ass off about being a victim of racism in Switzerland.
I can't imagine going through life as a victim. Constantly blaming others for what happens to me. I grew up poor too, in a single parent family, the youngest of 7. My parents divorced shortly after I was born. My mom, who raised us, sacrificed all she had to ensure that we were raised with good character. She encouraged me to get involved. I didn't always take the right path, but she stood firm when I strayed. She didn't make excuses for me. She didn't sit back and say "well, he ain't got no daddy, so what am I supposed to do?" She didn't go on assistance, take welfare, WIC, or anything else. She worked hard. She punished me when I did wrong, and she loved me when I did right.
I look at my brother and sisters, and we are as follows: A retired administrator for a successful nursing home. An office manager for a successful surgeon. A fantastic nurse who has seen many new lives brought into this earth. A stay at home mom/daycare provider/movie maker. The Emergency Medical Technician licensing person (sorry, don't know her actual title) for the entire state of Michigan. A small business owner who hauls steel across the midwest to make America work. A Business Analyst for a multi-billion dollar company.
My mom didn't tell us we had privilege because we were white. She made sure we had character. And that is what builds success.
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